After the Kiss
by Liora Lee
Summary: What happened after Hikaru and Misa kissed on earth? The story of what happened before what happened :-


My first Macross/Robotech fanfic. I love both versions, but don't own either of them so don't sue me. I've been watching a lot of Macross: Do You Remember Love? lately, and it got me wondering what happened after (SPOILER here) Misa and Hikaru kissed. We all know what happened, of course, but we don't know what happened prior to what happened. So here it is, according to me. Previous viewing of DYRL is required ^.^

In the damp darkness of the Protoculture house, Misa Hayase was crying again. Not just crying, but crying in front of _him_. She was sure he was sick of it by now, all this crying she had done while the two of them wandered the earth, but she didn't care. She hung her head in exhaustion. "I want to go home. Back to everyone else," Misa whispered through choked tears.

All of a sudden, warm hands enveloped hers. Ichijo's hands. Slowly, she raised her head. Ichijo was looking at her in a way that he never had before. And it was making her heart beat in a way that it hadn't in a long time.

He swept her into a kiss as night fell over the lonely alien city.

They held each other for long moments after that kiss, both nervous as to what to do or say next, but both enjoying the feel of one another. Hikaru held Misa against his chest, his eyes closed and chin resting on top of her head. He stroked her brown hair over and over, as if to confirm his presence, to let her know he wasn't going anywhere. Misa was so tired. Tired of trying to find hope amidst the massive graveyard that was now the earth. Tired of trying to convince herself that her job for the military was still meaningful. Tired of making it seem like she still wanted to live. Having Ichijo there to hold her made her feel like she didn't have to hold herself up anymore. She could just fall and he would catch her. A thought that both relieved and frightened her.

She pulled out of his arms so suddenly she felt Hikaru jump. "Ichijo, I'm sorry I got so emotional back there. I know you were just trying to comfort me. I'm fine now. When we rescue Minmei, I won't tell her about any of this." She turned around and started clearing the dishes from the table where they had their pretend dinner.

Ichijo stood there with his mouth open, the words not coming out although his mind commanded them to. Was the Commander out of her mind? Of course she was. He almost wanted to laugh, this was so like her. Always about the mission. For two years they'd fought over the TAC net over various things- his failure to follow orders, or her over-readiness to deliver them. She was a cold fish, he'd told himself (and his pilot friends) over and over. Beautiful, but cold. But over the past month he had fallen in love with her.

No, that wasn't right. He was already in love with the cold fish, ever since she called him a pervert at the lingerie shop. Rank, his cowardice, and her cool command exterior had always kept him at a distance. But standing on the pock-marked earth with Misa at his side made him brave. He wanted to show her how he felt, just like Roy-sempai always told him. "Be brave, be a man, show a woman how you feel." If they were going to be the last two people to kiss on earth, he was going to make it a damn good kiss.

But hearing what she said broke the spell. He realized then that he couldn't just get away with a kiss. He'd have to spell everything out for his cerebral Captain.

"Captain, I didn't kiss you because I wanted to comfort you. I kissed you because…the darkness is really romantic!" He grinned stupidly in the darkness.

She wanted to throw a plate at him, she was so annoyed. Here he was…joking! Playing with her heart! Misa Hayase might be cold and distant, and fairly inexperienced with men, but she was no chump. She put the dishes next to the sink with a clang. She wanted to scream at him, or to wring his neck, but she stopped. She said simply, "Thank you for your honesty, Ichijo." She scanned the house in the darkness. Most of it was still covered in several inches of water. "Did you spot a dry place we could camp? I feel a little silly for not looking for a place earlier. It's already dark."

Ichijo moved toward her in the dark, his eyes finally adjusted. He couldn't get over how practical she always was. Here he was trying (with lots of difficulty) to confess his love for her, and here she was looking for a place to camp? No wonder she was a First Officer. He put his hands gently on her shoulders. "Don't change the subject. Captain, I meant what I said. When a man loves a woman, he wants the moment to be romantic." He locked his eyes onto hers.

"Ichijo, are you saying…? What about Minmei?" Misa asked, her surprise evident even in the darkness.

"I'm a Minmei fan, Captain. Just like everyone else on the ship. I thought that being a fan, I could easily translate those feelings into love. But I couldn't. The more time I spent with her, the more I felt like her big brother."

Misa nodded. She finally understood. She, too, had big sister-like feelings toward Minmei. Although she only met her twice, Minmei's exuberance made her seem years younger, and made Misa feel years older, but not in a negative way. She wanted to protect the beautiful singing star, so that her songs could ring out throughout the galaxy forever.

Hikaru sighed with relief. She believed him, and that's all he wanted. He took his hands off her shoulders. Now that she understood, he could get back to the mission-he knew that would make her happiest.

He turned to go. "I'll go to the plane and get a flashlight. There has to be a dry place around here somewhere."

"Hikaru." He heard her call him by his first name for the very first time. He stopped, his heart beating wildly out of his chest. "Don't change the subject," she said. But this time, she was smiling. She moved toward him slowly. She put her arms around his neck, and whispered into his ear, her lips brushing his earlobe. Hikaru shuddered in anticipation. "We already have a place to camp. I already cleared the table, remember?"

OH SNAP! The End! Rate and review, please!


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